I discovered Walser's writing through the gaze of Monteiro, who made a filmic narrative about his dramatic piece"Snow White". Only after seeing the film did I read the written play.As the French say, I had a totally unexpected “coup de foudre” in this literary discovery through cinema. This visionary and extraordinary encounter of Cesar Monteiro's blind shots with the dialogues of Walser's characters (due to the absence of their bodies), was my great source of inspiration for the film I wanted to make in real time, within a scenic device (the LabOfilm projet).After a quick introduction to my work, and in dialogue with Paulo, we will see a small part of the piece. Olga Mesa

What allows Olga Mesa’s recreation of the play and film is the performative power of João César Monteiro, not only as an actor but as a complete artist/director who invents fictions, creates installations, manipulates rhythms. His option for a a dark (sometimes grey) hypnotising screen, although not absolutely new in cinema or in his cinema, is still illuminating and defying our paths. Paulo Filipe Monteiro

The backstage of an artwork is the place where the scene is prepared, where all the possible films are in potency. The film Snow White by João César Monteiro, based on Robert Walser, produces a meta-fictional approach where we can place ourselves in those backstage scenes where not only the myth but also Portuguese society is reflected. Cláudia Madeira